My nickname in our family is “Idea Woman”. Often I am mocked with the refrain “God loves you and Laura has a wonderful plan for your life.”

It’s ok. I’ll own it. I can’t help the way my mind works. Ideas just kind of spurt out like fireworks.

While they were growing up, the girls and I used to watch the old movie “The Trouble with Angels” about Haley Mills causing mischief in a catholic boarding school. We often repeat her line, “I have a scathingly brilliant idea!“ with a gleam in our eyes.

All that to say, in the past couple years I’ve been struck by three things that friends have done that seem scathingly brilliant and I want to share them with you. These are not my ideas. I just wish I had thought of them!

1. Two years ago an engaged couple contacted us. They said they had made a list of couples whose marriages they admired and determined to invite each couple out to dinner, one at a time. They had come up with a series of questions they wanted to ask each couple. Questions like: What’s your best advice about handling conflict? How have you grown together in your faith? What’s your best counsel on nurturing a strong marriage?

2. Then, last week I got an email from some friends of ours who have a daughter who’s a senior in high school, graduating in the spring.

They realized they have just 8 more months with their daughter living under their roof before she heads off for college and the next chapter of her life. They wrote that they are committed to making the most of these days, and want to share with her the greatest gifts they can – one of which is the faith, wisdom, and experience of their friends

So they asked:

“Would you be willing to have coffee with our daughter in the next 8 months to share with her why you are who you are…Why you believe what you do….What you wish you might have known as you wrapped up HS and headed off to college... and from you specifically we’d love for you to share a few thoughts on ______________.” (and they filled in the blank with an area of experience they thought we, in particular might share from)

3. Lastly, just this weekend I heard from a friend, a godly, successful leader and businessman, who had a young man just out of college approach him and ask if they, together could read and meet regularly to discuss books on leadership and business so he could benefit from our friend’s experience and wisdom. I think he said they’re on their fourth book, and he says he gets as much out of it as the young man.

This isn’tjust about younger approaching older! Last year I asked our daughter, Katy, to teach me everything she knows about running. She has been an amazing mentor in this area!

Who inspires you? What can you learn from them? Call and set up an appointment.

Just ask.

If you think you know it all, you’re a fool for sure; real survivors learn wisdom from others. Proverbs 28:26 MSG